


Six Months

by Dinkdidnothingwrong



Category: Ender's Game - All Media Types
Genre: Battle School (Ender's Game), Bickering, Coffee Shops, F/M, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22034845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinkdidnothingwrong/pseuds/Dinkdidnothingwrong
Summary: Bonzo wasn't quite sure why he kept coming to the lunch dates. He wasn't quite sure why the hell he was invited in the first place, but each week he pulled an old sweater out of his closet, slapped some cologne on and sat at a small French cafe. Which really shouldn't have existed in the first place, as the French and Spanish were highly disputed among each other, but it did and Peter had chosen it specifically for its coffee. Bonzo sipped at the tea he'd ordered, and watched the Hegemon approach
Relationships: Petra Arkanian/Bean, Petra Arkanian/Peter Wiggin
Kudos: 5





	Six Months

Bonzo wasn't quite sure why he kept coming to the lunch dates. He wasn't quite sure why the hell he was invited in the first place, but each week he pulled an old sweater out of his closet, slapped some cologne on and sat at a small French cafe. Which really shouldn't have existed in the first place, as the French and Spanish were highly disputed among each other, but it did and Peter had chosen it specifically for its coffee. Bonzo sipped at the tea he'd ordered, and watched the Hegemon approach. 

"Hegemon." He grunted.

"Commander." And he began to wonder again why he came. "Petra won't be joining us. She's sick."

"Shame."

"She did want to come. She likes the croissants here." Peter watched the boy lower his cup, and place it upon the saucer in a slow, lurching motion. He reached back for his coat, and Peter grabbed his hand. "Please don't."

"I don't come here for you Hegemon."

"You've said that alot." Peter took a seat across from Bonzo, the other returning to his seat as well. "Yet you've said the same to Petra."

"Maybe so." He waved his hand flippantly, a waiter appearing by Peter's side. 

"There's better ways to get their attention."

"So?" The pair went silent, staring at one another. To a passerby it would've been obvious that they were both men of status, though if you looked closely you'd be able to discern how exactly each had gotten that status. Bonzo took a textbook out of his bag, and then with one hand began to type on his desk. 

"You went back to Secondary?"

"College." Peter's eyebrows perked up. That must of been a hell of an admissions essay. "They wanted to have me sit in for psych classes. I agreed only on the terms that I could take a few classes of my own."

"Hm." Again they went silent. Peter's coffee arrived. "Excuse me." 

"Yo.

"This has gone to shit."

"It explains why you're in the bathroom. Seriously, you couldn't find a way to make pleasant chatter with him for even an hour?"

"He's not all that friendly."

"Of course he's not. He still thinks you have an ultimatum in all this."

"Maybe I do." Petra snorted.

"Like what? You've surprised me before, but I hardly see what you have to offer him. He's not one to take a bribe either."

"It's not a bribe, it's...it should work."

"Peter last time you said that you lit Dink's birthday cake on fire and nearly caught Rose's hair in the flames."

"He shouldn't have been standing so close to it."

"Whatever, just please don't break this. I like getting out of the house once in a while."

"Don't worry." Petra began to protest, but Peter simply ended the call and walked back out to the table. "Thank you for the croissant."

"Sure."

"There's a reason I've been inviting you for lunch, beyond your company."

"What a surprise." Peter siged.

"Look. I don't have to come here. But I want to give you something. An offer." Peter watched the other's eyes, hoping for a reaction, but all Bonzo did was put anyway his books. So in return, he pulled up his connection to the ansible without explaining what it was. "When you were a boy,"

"What is that?"

"you had a rough time."

"Peter what am I looking at?"

"Specifically with my brother,"

"Don't you dare."

"Ender. You never did get closure with him. That's what I want to offer here. I've already cleared it with the military, and I'm sure Ender, while a bit surprised, would want to clear things up-WOAH!" Peter jerked the desk backwards, the tea staining the immaculate white tablecloth. Bonzo slammed the cup back into the saucer, the edge cracking slightly. He gathered his things and messily shoved his books into his bag. "Wait!" Bonzo threw a 50 on the table, more than enough to cover what they'd both ordered. Peter rushed behind him, Bonzo just ignoring him and attempting to hail a taxi. "Bonzo don't." Quickly, far too fast for Peter too even attempt to dodge, Bonzo slapped him across the right cheek. It was that terrible kind that barely made a sound but drew blood, 4 quiet trickles rolling down Peter's cheek. He cupped it, watching Bonzo climb into the taxi and out of sight. 

"Bonzo! You're home early-" Bonzo unceremoniously slammed his bedroom door, Amoro snapping shut. He hadn't seen his son in such a state since they'd announced he wasn't to be back into space, civilian or otherwise. Oh how he'd sobbed that night, face buried in pillows and wine spilled across the sheets. Amoro started locking the liquor cabinet after that. He could tell it wasn't as bad as being 'ground-locked' (as he called it), but something had shaken him. He was about to go after him when Bonzo re-emerged, desk in hand and face red. "Bonzo what are you doing-"

"I'll be making a call in the basement."

"Why do you need to make a call in the basement?" Bonzo turned, eyes burning holes in his father's chest. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He sauntered towards the kitchen, glancing back at his son. He was already descending the stairs. "Can you please watch your volume though? When you called Graff last time you got a little....heated." A great pounding came from the stairs, Amoro instinctively flinching down and cowering behind the island. His son stood at the landing, face almost purple and hands shaking. Yet, the moment he saw the other it all seemed to drain out of him, like a storm passing by only ever announcing its presence with clouds. His posture slacked, and he turned like a kicked dog.

"Fine." He mumbled.

"Wait, I didn't-" The door clicked shut. Amoro stood up shakeningly, burying himself in his arms on the counter. He had hoped he was getting better, but it seemed that he still couldn't deal with the little soldier boy he lived with.

"Petra." He didn't sound angry, he just sounded....scared. Petra hadn't recalled that a tone he was capable of making, but it was only natural. "How long had he been planning that?"

"I don't know. I thought I'd talked him out of it." Peter sat across from her, gently placing bandaids on his injured cheek. "Did you have to slap him?"

"No. Tell him I'm sorry."

"Hm. He...did want to help, though. He had good intentions, is what I mean."

"Are you sure?"

"What?"

"Are you sure."

"Y-...Yes! He wouldn't have started this if he didn't want to make something good out of it."

"He seems awfully convinced he's a bad person."

"That's his own problem. Not to press but, um, do you think you might-"

"No."

"Bonzo I-"

"No."

"Listen to me you self absorbed twit." Petra hissed. "This could be good for both of you. Don't you think Ender wants to apologize? That he wants to find you're still alive in the first place?"

"No he doesn't. If Peter got the call approved, then he knows." Petra glanced over at Peter, and then snuck into the kitchen and shut the door. 

"He didn't get it approved. I fudged the system so there would be a call going into Ender for him. This, though, is not what I expected him to use it for! Probably didn't tell me because he knew I'd kick his ass all the way back to the Battle school."   
"Stop trying to cover your ass Arkainin. It's already steel plated." Bonzo growled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was a bad habit of his, and the skin there was reddened and dry. "What do they even gain by hiding that?"

"Jack and all, other than guilty Ender, who hasn't actually been all that helpful lately. At least....keep coming to lunches? I think part of me is stupid enough to enjoy your company."

"Fine.”

Petra wasn't quite sure why she kept coming along to the lunch dates, but after last week, she guessed she had an answer. Bonzo and Peter were an explosive combination, and if someone wasn't there to handle them, something was bound to get broken. That exact reason was why they were at a more passive cafe, as they weren't positive on whether or not they'd be welcomed back. 

"Last week didn't go well." Peter started.

"Because you lied to me." Petra snarled.

"And proposed I speak to someone who Im personally convinced would rather hear the sound of me gargling blood than my actual voice." Bonzo snipped, sipping his tea with a dagger-like glare.

"Bonzo."

"He might feel guilty now, but in a few years when the shock of all this nastines has blown over than he'll know. He'll understand."

"Understand what?" Peter asked, though his tone was neutral. "Why the whole incident happened, or are you implying that he's not truly sorry for what he did and simply feels bad because he thinks he killed you."

"The second one."

"Bonzo you fucking idiot." Petra sighed.

"No, no. This is interesting Pet."

"Pet?" Bonzo snorted. "If Peter calls you Pet than can I call you Petrol?"

"I will choke you out in the middle of this lovely cafe Madrid."

"Whatever Arkainian."

"I'll do it. I'll do it with Ender listening, so help me god I'll do it with Bean listening."

"Okkayy" Peter's laugh came out appropriately nervous, and both brats relaxed back into their seats. "But it still was incredibly uncouth for me to bring that up. I'm sorry." 

Bonzo just hummed in response. Peter looked over to Petra, worried, but she nodded. He'd done good. Their drinks came, and they sat in silence for a little while. 

"I shouldn't have hurt you. But you need to watch your mouth. There are sadly things you can never understand Peter, through the virtue of living on Earth. When you speak of these things, you speak for a place in which only those who wanted to get through could endure." Petra went to interrupt, but Bonzo motioned for her to wait. "And I don't mean you wanted to be the best, or make it to command school, or any of that bullshit. If you made it through Battle school, it's because you wanted to live." His eyes went cloudy, and when Peter glanced over at Petra, her face had a similar look. 

"I know, well I don't know, but...he'll be outside proper range in six months planet side. It could take months, even years for a response once he leaves. It's kind of something we can't wait on. Any of us."

"Six months." Bonzo said, eyes vacant. "That's a...long time."

"In these terms, it's really not."

"It is. The offer was poor spirited, but I understand what you were trying to do. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't, Just don't count on a straight answer until we're out of the six months."

"That's...not exactly what I was hoping for."

"But it is an answer." Petra finished her cream latte, gently tipping back a creamer cup.   
"So...your dad..." A resounding arrrggghhh rose from both boys, and Petra grinned, flagging   
down their waiter to order another round of drinks.


End file.
